Ebook River of Time: A Memoir of Vietnam and Cambodia, by Jon Swain
Ebook River of Time: A Memoir of Vietnam and Cambodia, by Jon Swain
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River of Time: A Memoir of Vietnam and Cambodia, by Jon Swain
Ebook River of Time: A Memoir of Vietnam and Cambodia, by Jon Swain
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Review
"Jon Swain's powerful and moving book goes further than anything else I have read towards explaining the appeal of Indo-China and its tragic conflicts...River of Time is both an eye-witness account of painful and often sickening events, and an almost poetic meditation on the mysterious appeal of war and death...His book is unsparingly honest, a brilliant and unsettling examination of the age-old bonds between death, beauty, violence and the imagination, which came together in Vietnam as nowhere else." - J.G. Ballard,  Sunday Times of London"River of Time is more than simply a piled up record of the hideous details of war, torture, dissolution and inhumanity in paradise...Jon Swain lived in the midst of these extraordinary, sickening and hair-raising events - a sensitive, sweet-natured man of integrity caught up (deliberately as he admits) in the horror  of the killing fields of Vietnam, Cambodia,  Laos...It is hard to see how a better book could be written of this tumultuous and utterly disastrous period."- Gavin Young"An absolutely riveting book...haunting, compulsive and beautifully written, River of Time looks set to become a classic." Alexander Frater,  Observer"His book is a damning indictment and a triumphant witness. Brief, wrenching, it is surely the freshest and most sensitive account of those times." Michael Binyon, The Times
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About the Author
Jon Swain has won several British press awards for his reporting at home and abroad, most recently in the Far East, and is on the staff of the Sunday Times.
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Product details
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (October 1, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425168050
ISBN-13: 978-0425168059
Product Dimensions:
5.1 x 0.8 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
4.4 out of 5 stars
41 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#297,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Jon Swain, the real-life British journalist portrayed by Julian Sands in Roland Joffe's "The Killing Fields", has written a heart wrenching memoir of his times in Indochina. Swain was based in Vietnam and Cambodia during a five year spell as a correspondent with AFP, following the war efforts in both countries, and in neighbouring Laos. In the course of his work, Swain came into contact with many personalities of region, both indigenous and foreign. Little snapshots of time and places in Saigon, Phnom Penh, and the people (mainly French) residing in these and other places provide insight into a time long lost through firstly revolution and now commercialisation, as the mighty tourism dollar holds sway. While the entire narrative is undoubtedly fascinating, I personally found the portions of the book that were of most interest to be the section relating to the downfall of Phnom Penh, which of course features in "The Killing Fields".Swain was no innocent; it is clear that he, as would most 20 somethings in his position, indulged in some hedonistic behavior which extended to opium pipe sessions. It seems he developed significant feelings for a French Vietnamese girl, and he returns to this subject several times. As the story progresses, the reader appreciates that this girl is now lost to Swain, and he readily admits his own culpability in this. In "River of Time", Swain is not attempting to paint a perfect image of himself; he doesn't cover over his own shortcomings and faults. I would have much less sympathy for the author if he was in his 40's or 50's - one of the more unsavoury aspects of Indochina is its tendency to attract seedy westerners ready and willing to take advantage of women who will do anything to survive. One merely needs to take a stroll any night of the week along the waterfront of Phnom Penh to appreciate these characters. But Swain was in his mid-twenties, idealistic and adventurous, and now 20 years on from the downfall of Phnom Penh, "River of Time" is Swain's catharsis. It was sad to read of his return to Vietnam and Cambodia, and his realisation just how much had changed since the transition of these countries to communism, and just how much had been lost.I did find the author's overwhelming state of melancholy to be somewhat depressing at times, and this does not make for an easy read. However, I can certainly appreciate Swain's feelings of melancholy and lament for Indochina of the early 1970's; I think that many of us pine for a period of time and place in our lives, and so have our own "River of Time" in a sense, although probably nowhere near as tragic."River of Time" is well worth a read, particularly if you have spent time in South East Asia. It adds much needed human context to the often dry histories that cover this turbulent period of Indochina's history. In the end, this book is not so much about Swain, but a tribute to the people of Indochina.
A great snapshot of Indo China as it was. Thanks to Mr Swain for bringing to life that period, particularly his descriptions of Phnom Penh. I recently returned from Cambodia and regret not having read this book prior. Yes, its 2017, but the damage that the Khmer Rouge wrought on Khmer society lives on in the memories of the Khmer people, all of whom lost someone, be it an Aunt, Uncle, Mother, Father, etc. Nevermind the UXO and mines that continue to destroy lives to this very day as a consequence of a bloody conflict of yesteryear.
What makes this book worth reading is Swain's account of the fall of Phnom Penh in 1975 to the Khmer Rouge and his confinement in the French Embassy. It's a story that is told in chilling detail in the Oscar-winning movie, "The Killing Fields," in which an actor plays Swain. Swain's true account, especially of the bravery of Cambodian assistant Dith Pran, is possibly the best written account available.This is a book about the horror and the romance of war and Vietnam was the most horrible and the most romantic of wars. Amidst all the blood, Swain and others had a hell of a good time and only latterly did the tragedy of it all hit home to them. Swain doesn't put on any airs. He was a young and adventurous journalist who enjoyed the atmosphere -- sex, drugs, and rock and roll -- that went along with the war. Swain writes effortlessly and most people will enjoy "River of Time" for its portrayal of a young man and a war.Smallchief
What a transition! "River" begins like a two-star autobiography of a self-centered journalist whose experiences with the country he writes about were confined to brothels or brief hedonistic excursions to the front lines (le Carre described such journalists as "war tourists"). However, when the author witnesses the Khmer Rouge taking over Cambodia in 1975, "River" abruptly and masterfully changes into a documentary of Hell. No painting, no movie, no poem could ever convey the comprehensive description of horror the author gives as the communists took over and began their auto-genocide in Cambodia. So many people promised a Worker's Paradise in Southeast Asia if America departed; instead, the region became an epic human catastrophe.The author writes well, and his style changes right along with the subject matter. He begins arrogantly enough, but as he encounters the Khmer Rouge takeover -- the fierce hatred in their faces while they shove hospital patients, with their bandages and IV lines, into the streets -- the author transitions into a strange kind of detachment, which doubtlessly helped him survive some intense psychological trauma. It seems unbelievable that humans could do all he describes, but other authors and sources back up the events, so I am left believing him.At the end of the book, the author returns to postwar Vietnam and looks for a trace of its former identity amidst the destitution and depression. He finds his girlfriend's old cat near their former apartment, and it seems only the cat's combination of emotional aloofness, wariness around people, and ability to take advantage of Luck have allowed it to survive while so many humans perished, either mentally or physically.I bought this book to help prepare for a medical trip to Cambodia, and it helped understand what the people endured. Perhaps this book shows, no matter how optimistic we may be about the potential of the human spirit, we must also be cautious.
This book will give you a true sense of the charm of South East Asia. It really will take you back if you've been there and give people a real sense of the place. Phnom Penh and Vietnam are changing so fast, but there is still a quality about the place that this book captures. I've given this to several friends and all have liked it. It's a good find.
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